Trump rips into 'communist loser' Abdul El-Sayed's razor-thin Michigan victory as Republicans eye new way to save the Senate

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 17:33, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 17:58, 5 August 2026 Donald Trump branded Abdul El-Sayed a 'Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel' on Wednesday, even as the President hailed the progressive's razor-thin Michigan Senate primary win as 'Great news for the Republican Party.' El-Sayed edged moderate Representative Haley Stevens by a single percentage point, 48.5 percent to 47.5, with 99 percent of ballots counted.  The Associated Press did not call the race until Wednesday morning, hours after NBC News projected El-Sayed's victory.  'As usual, the Polls were way off on this one. She was not expected to do nearly as well as she did,' Trump wrote on Truth Social of Stevens, who had trailed by as much as double digits in final surveys. 'Now, the Democrats' crazy policies will only get worse.' Conservative strategists have long wanted El-Sayed as the opponent for Republican Mike Rogers, who ran unopposed after an early Trump endorsement cleared the GOP field. El-Sayed is wasting no time, challenging Rogers to five debates. 'We took on a machine,' he told supporters in Detroit. 'The power of our many is greater than the power of their money.' Stevens telephoned him on Wednesday morning to concede and pledged her support. US Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed addresses supporters at his election night event at The Majestic Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday President Donald Trump dances, as he delivers remarks on the economy, at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, on July 27, 2026 Former US Representative Mike Rogers speaks on the day of Trump's speech at the General Motors Proving Ground, in Milford, Michigan, last month Your browser does not support iframes. Vice President JD Vance also jabbed at El-Sayed while giving remarks at the White House on Wednesday, saying that you never know what a future administration could look like, adding,' God forbid you're gonna have President El-Sayed in three years.' Michigan's Senate seat, open because two-term Democrat Gary Peters is retiring, could decide control of the Senate. Republicans have not won a Michigan Senate race since 1994, though Rogers came within a whisker of beating Elissa Slotkin in 2024. Jessica Anderson, president of the Sentinel Action Fund, which is backing Rogers, said the result 'should make the choice easy in November,' pitting 'a far-Left socialist' against 'an America First leader.' 'This election is no longer just Democrat versus Republican. It is socialism versus solutions,' she added. Sentinel and its sister group Right Vote have committed a combined $15million to Michigan. What polling forecasted to be a double-digit thumping turned out to be a squeaker of a result that left nail-biting Democrats anxious and angry. The New York Times estimated El-Sayed would ultimately win by 1.5 percentage points, based on more than 90 percent of the vote that's been counted.  Even before the primary night call, Republicans signaled they were savoring a fight with El-Sayed, a 41-year-old doctor, born and raised in Michigan.  Rogers was caught on tape saying he would be 'in good shape' in a general election against El-Sayed.  And even Democrats impressed with El-Sayed's raw talent are raising concerns he can pull together a broad enough coalition to win in November. Haley Stevens seen at a night watch party at the Hotel Saint Regis Detroit on Tuesday  Democratic candidate for US  Senate in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed visits a polling place as residents cast their votes on August 4th, 2026 in Dearborn, Michigan Stevens, candidate for Michigan's open US Senate seat, speaks to the press after casting her ballot at Baldwin Public Library on August 4th, 2026 in Birmingham, Michigan Oakland County voters cast their ballots in the 2026 Michigan primary election at Royal Oak High School in Royal Oak, Michigan, United States on August 4, 2026 'He enters the general election trailing his Republican opponent in the gold standard MI poll, in a state Biden won in 2020 while other Democrats are posting leads over Republicans in states Trump won by double digits,' wrote Adam Jentleson, a Democratic strategist, forecasting what soon awaits El-Sayed.  'I believe Abdul can win because he is so talented. But it is also not irrational to worry,' he added. El-Sayed's lead had shriveled through the night as votes crawled in from Wayne County, home to Detroit and the state's biggest prize. Rogers is not a novelty opponent. He came within 19,000 votes of Elissa Slotkin in 2024, losing 48.6 to 48.3 — just three-tenths of a point — in the same cycle Trump carried Michigan. This year's Senate primary in Michigan was defined by a pair of candidates representing opposite poles of their party.  El-Sayed pulled ahead of Stevens, a current member of the US House of Representatives who is aligned with more moderate factions of the Democratic Party and was endorsed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn.  But disproportionate spending in the contest drew significant national attention.  Outside groups poured nearly $62 million into backing Stevens, a roughly nine-to-one spending advantage over El-Sayed.  Will El-Sayed¿s progressive platform unite or divide Democrats in the fight for Michigan¿s Senate seat? What's your view?Half of it, $32 million, came from AIPAC's super PAC, the largest single-race investment in the group's history and more than any outside organization has spent on a federal Democratic primary this cycle. While Democrats spent an estimated $98.2 million tearing each other apart, making this the third most expensive Senate primary in American history, Rogers ran unopposed and banked it.  Stevens had the machine behind her too.  Retiring Senator Peters endorsed her, as did Whitmer, whose own standing among Democrats has slipped this year. Earlier polling showed Stevens well clear. A batch of recent surveys had El-Sayed ahead by double digits. Stevens drew higher-than-expected support not only in rural areas but also in Detroit's heavily African American neighborhoods, while El-Sayed ran away with it in the Muslim areas of Hamtramck and Dearborn. In the final days of the campaign, Stevens turned on her opponent, accusing him of blaming Jewish Americans for his problems.  'You will lose to Mike Rogers by talking like this,' Stevens said last week, after El-Sayed dared AIPAC to 'come for me.' He arrives in November carrying endorsements from the left's biggest names: Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But he'll also need to win over 47 percent of Michigan Democrats who voted against him. During the primary, El-Sayed has vowed to 'stand up to greedy landlords and corporate profiteers' and to campaign for 'Medicare for All', though his wife's psychiatric practice accepts only out-of-pocket payments. The seat, open since Peters announced his retirement, is rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. The win, however small the margin, extends a national run of progressive scalps.  Three candidates backed by socialist New York mayor Zohran Mamdani took their primaries in June, among them Brad Lander, who once ran against Mamdani for mayor and who ousted Dan Goldman as the congressman sought a third term.  Adriano Espaillat, the 71-year-old chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was toppled by Mamdani-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier. In Colorado, 29-year-old Democratic socialist Melat Kiros unseated Diana DeGette after nearly 30 years in Congress. El-Sayed says a victory in November would hand him leverage over the 2028 presidential primary, and the calendar agrees.  Nine days before Michigan voted, the Democratic National Committee's rules panel awarded the state one of just six coveted slots in the early window of the 2028 nominating contest, meaning he will hold a megaphone in a state that votes before Super Tuesday on March 7, 2028.